Jackie @jackiedoesart - Tumblr Blog

Picky eaters aren’t stubborn or closed-minded; their tastes are just built differently than yours. Most will try a variety of food and still wind up at the same end result: not liking it. And this isn’t a conscious decision anymore than other people enjoying all the other foods that they enjoy. It’s just there. Don’t make fun of them for it. Don’t tease them about the food they do eat. Don’t look through their pantries or watch what they order from the menu and make judgments. None of them will suddenly decide to like their hated food just because of your random comments on “wow, you’re eating that again?!"

Guess what? We get tired of the same food, too, but if it’s the only thing we like, we don’t have much of a choice.

chocolatecastleinthesky

PSA on Picky Eaters

Something that has been on my mind lately (aka my entire life) is the anxiety and frustration of a picky eater. So here are some thoughts and advice for those who know a picky eater.

First of all, please be patient. Whether you are a parent with a picky child, in a relationship with a picky eater, or friends with one, it doesn’t matter. I promise we aren’t trying to picky. It is frustrating to us, too. Don’t I wish I could just go wherever to eat? It would be so nice to do so. I’m sure I’m not the only one who makes up excuses as to why they aren’t eating (not hungry, can’t afford it, etc.). Especially when your friends pick the place to eat, and you don’t want to be difficult.

Second of all, when you get frustrated about our eating habits, we feel guilty. Guilty that you are making a separate or altered meal. Guilty that we’re asking for too much. It isn’t easy to say, “I actually don’t like that” when someone buys or makes something for you. Especially when you know they are doing it from the kindness of their heart. It can be very difficult to respond to these, and we feel awful for disappointing you.

Third, we get judged. A lot. When you turn down food, people will ask about why you’re not eating. If you’re female, I’ve been asked a number of times if I’m anorexic or something. Sometimes I do go long periods of time without eating around people because I don’t like the food and it sucks. Or I get judged for eating the food I do like (which does happen to be junk food a lot of times when that is all that is available on a college campus that I enjoy and can afford).

Being picky is rarely a choice. We don’t want it. We wish we could just grab a burger like everyone else. It would be easier. So please be patient and gentle with your words. Making an effort makes the world. Whether it is keeping an easy to prepare meal on hand just in case or altering something just a little for a meal, it can go a long way in making us more comfortable. Thank you.

wwasteland

You never really leave your hometown (all photos are my own)

strinak

Oklahoma Gothic

Okay, giving this a shot:

One by one, pets disappear without a trace. “Coyotes,” the neighbors agree. But the night is silent. The howls vanished long before the first dog went missing.

You order a Coke. It is Dr. Pepper. You order a Pepsi. It is Dr. Pepper. You order a Dr. Pepper. It is sweet tea.

You measure distance in minutes, not miles. I’m about 5 minutes away. I’ll be there in 15 minutes. They need to know when to start searching.

Everyone knows to build low to the ground. Skyscrapers are declarations of war and the wind leaves no challenge unanswered.

In history class you learned Gotebo. You learned Wetumka. You learned Chickasha. When they ask you for the passphrase, you must pronounce them perfectly. No one gets too attached to the ones who stutter.

You meet another car at a four way stop. You wave them through. They wave you through. You wave them through. You must always be polite where the crossroads can see you.

There is an Ogle brother in the morning. There is an Ogle brother at night. There is an Ogle brother on the next channel. There is always another Ogle brother.

It is Christmas. Jewelry is the gift to give; it’s the gift that’ll live and live. This is the only carol you know. Savings you can’t ignore. Everyone is singing. Oklahoma’s oldest jeweler. The girl in the commercial signs “help me” to the passing shoppers as she sings. Since 1892. You are singing along, irresistibly. Give the gift you know can’t fail.

412rebelled

Oklahoma Gothic

Oklahoma gothic -You’re driving the back roads late at night. The grass is so tall on either side of the road it’s indistinguishable from the figures that lurk in the corner of your vision. You turn the radio up as loud as it will go and stare straight ahead, hoping nothing leaps in front of your headlights. -The air turns red before the storms hit, thick and heavy and causing you to feel to much. No one has an explanation. No one bothers mentioning it. You wonder if you’re the only one that can see it, and keep your mouth shut. Who knows what will happen if you question it. - The tornado sirens go off every Saturday at noon. You only hear it about 20% of the time, and wonder if there’s something wrong with you for not hearing it, or if you’re beginning to tune it out. No one else bothers to question it. -Everywhere you turn, there’s a baptist church. There’s no escaping the good word of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you have a few moments? -The wind is blowing hard today. It’s been getting stronger and stronger for the past week. You wonder if it’s preparing for something. -There’s a boy in your town with a lifted truck, a confederate flag stuck up waving in the bed. He doesn’t do much else except waste gas, speeding through Main Street. You wonder when the cops will start to care. -You’ve learned to ignore the glowing eyes that appear in the fields at night. Everyone who says anything about them always disappears soon after, and you don’t plan on being next. -Everyone boasts about how gorgeous the sunsets are in your home state. Nobody mentions what was sacrificed to get them that way. You wonder if there’s a reason blood red is always present in those sunsets. -The chants of ‘Boomer Sooner’ and 'Go Pokes’ are deafening. It’s hard to understand the pride. Neither of them hardly wins anyway.

aesterea-archived

oklahoma gothic

-last night you fell asleep to thunder. this morning the sky was green. a tornado warning is posted. no one pays it any heed. you go to school anyway. -a train blocks your vehicle’s path. this means you will be ten minutes late. drivers curse the trains. they are endless and slow. you stare and trace the graffiti with your eyes. you rather like the trains. -your teachers sigh heavily throughout the day. half your classmates never show up. everyone is tired and weary. their laughter sounds like choking as they blame it on the weather. you look out the window. the sky is silver turning blue. -your teachers make offhand comments about politics. you learn of all government affairs from the things they mutter irritably. you are angry about things you don’t fully understand. what is house bill 1380? you don’t remember its other names. you hate house bill 1380. -it is wednesday and it is noon. the sky is bright. there’s not a cloud in sight. you hear tornado sirens. of course you do. it is wednesday and it is noon. you keep walking. -you are driving home on the same street as always. something catches you off guard. you aren’t sure what it is. there is something different about the trees. you shake your head. there is always something different about the trees. -as you eat your dinner you think of the past. they say oklahoma was once hilly and green. they also say it was red and barren. you look outside. a bunny hops through yellow grass. rain still drips from green leaves. it is february. -you ask your friends about colleges. what are their plans? what are their goals? they don’t know, except to get the hell out of oklahoma. you nod in solidarity. that is also your goal. that is everyone’s goal. -cicadas scream their mating calls. you don’t know when they began. you shouldn’t be aware of when they stop. when the night falls silent, you freeze. you weren’t supposed to hear them stop. -tonight you fall asleep to dogs barking. you wonder what they know that you don’t. they might be barking at strangers. they might be barking at ghosts. you close your eyes and think of years long gone. you love those dogs.